Vehicular mirror system

ABSTRACT

A vehicular interior rearview mirror system includes a housing, a mounting member configured to mount to a vehicle windshield, an electrical actuator, which is supported by the mounting member with the weight of the electrical actuator being transferred to the windshield by way of the mounting member, and a reflective element. The reflective element is mounted to the electrical actuator and has a rearward field of view when mounted to the electrical actuator, which provides adjustment of the rearward field of view of the reflective element.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/790,309, filed Mar. 1, 2004, entitled MEMORY MIRROR SYSTEMFOR VEHICLE, by Applicant Peter J. Whitehead, which is a divisionalapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/572,008, filed May16, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,905, which are incorporated herein intheir entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an interior rearview mirrorassembly and, more particularly, to an interior rearview mirror assemblyfor a vehicle memory mirror system.

Conventional vehicle memory mirror systems typically include one or moreexterior mirror assemblies which are equipped with electrically operatedmotors that provide for repositioning of the mirror assemblies'reflective elements with respect to one or more axes. Particularly forexterior sideview mirrors, it is known to incorporate memory-positioningsystems so that a driver of a vehicle may select a desired position ofthe exterior sideview mirror by simply pushing a button. Less known, butcurrently available, are memory mirror systems, which include memorypositions not only for the exterior sideview mirror assemblies butfurther, for the interior rearview mirror assembly. Incorporated intoeach of these mirror assemblies is a drive mechanism, which provides forthe memory positions for each of the reflective elements in the mirrorassemblies.

Referring to FIG. 6, a conventional interior mirror assembly for amemory mirror system includes a housing with a pivotal portion, such asa casing C, and a fixed portion, such as a mounting arm M, which mountsthe casing to a windshield W on, for example a mounting button, as isknown in the art. A reflective element assembly R is supported in thepivotal portion or casing by an electrical actuator A. Heretofore, theactuator or drive mechanisms that have been incorporated into theseinterior rearview mirror assemblies necessarily add weight to thepivotal portion and, further, result in crowding out of otheraccessories or features which may be incorporated into the interiorrearview mirror casing. While such memory mirror systems (which includeboth exterior and rearview mirror assemblies) are known, they are notwidely used. It has been found that the weight of the motor, especiallyin interior mirror assemblies, has impacted the vibration performance ofthe mirror assembly. In addition, as the interior rearview mirrorassembly has been more recently targeted as a location for storing orholding a multitude of electronic and electrical devices and accessoriesthe space in the interior mirror assembly casing has become morecoveted.

For example, interior mirror assemblies now incorporate map lights,displays, videos, and other utility functions, such as described incopending U.S. patent application entitled REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITHUTILITY FUNCTIONS, Ser. No. 09/449,121, filed Nov. 24, 1999, now U.S.Pat. No. 6,428,172, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety. Other examples of the various electronic andelectrical features now incorporated into interior rearview mirrorassemblies include: Video screens, such as disclosed in copending U.S.patent application entitled INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLYINCORPORATING A VIDEO SCREEN, filed Mar. 1, 2000, Ser. No. 60/186,520;microphones and/or speakers, such as disclosed in U.S. patentapplications Ser. No. 09/361,814, filed Jul. 27, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No.6,201,642, and Ser. No. 09/199,907 filed Nov. 25, 1998; sound processingsystems, including digital sound processing systems, such as disclosedin U.S. pending application entitled INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR SOUNDPROCESSING, Ser. No. 09/466,010, filed Dec. 17, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No.6,420,975, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties. Examples of location of such displays and/or user interfacesand/or other accessories such as video screens are disclosed incopending U.S. patent applications entitled INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRRORASSEMBLY INCORPORATING A VIDEO SCREEN, filed Mar. 1, 2000, Ser. No.60/186,520; U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 09/361,814, filed Jul. 27,1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,642, and Ser. No. 09/199,907, filed Nov.25, 1998; such as sound processing systems, including digital soundprocessing systems, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,865 entitled AMETHOD FOR INDICATING THE PRESENCE OF SPEECH IN AN AUDIO SIGNAL, issuedSep. 25, 1990, to Stettiner et al. and in co-pending and co-assignedU.S. patent applications Ser. No. 09/466,010, filed Dec. 17, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,420,975; Ser. No. 09/396,179, filed Sep. 14, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,420,975; Ser. No. 09/382,720, filed Aug. 25, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,243,003; Ser. No. 09/449,121, filed Nov. 24, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,428,172; Ser. No. 09/433,467, filed Nov. 4, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,326,613; and Ser. No. 09/448,700, filed Nov. 24, 1999,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,925; such as displays, including tire pressuresensor system displays, compass sensors and displays, temperaturedisplays, are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/244,726,filed Feb. 5, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,613, and in U.S. patentapplication entitled REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITH UTILITY FUNCTIONS,Ser. No. 09/449,121, filed Nov. 24, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,172;and U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,240; such as a communication module is disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,688; such as blind spot detection systems aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,929,786 or 5,786,772; such as transmittersand/or receivers, including garage door openers and a digital network,are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,575; such as a memory mirror systemis disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,176; U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,575; U.S.Pat. No. 5,812,321; U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,772; and U.S. Pat. No.5,959,367, and in U.S. patent applications entitled MEMORY MIRROR SYSTEMFOR VEHICLES, Ser. No. 09/448,690, filed Nov. 24, 1999, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,163,083; and A VEHICLE REARVIEW MIRROR AND A VEHICLE CONTROLSYSTEM INCORPORATING SUCH MIRROR, Ser. No. 09/341,450, filed Jul. 8,1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,291,905; such as a hands-free phoneattachment, a video device for internal cabin surveillance and/or videotelephone function, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,962 and5,877,897 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/433,467, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,326,613, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/918,772, entitledMODULAR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY, filed Aug. 25, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No.6,124,886; such as vehicle navigation systems are described inco-pending provisional application Ser. No. 60/131,593, filed Apr. 29,1999, entitled VEHICLE-BASED NAVIGATION SYSTEM WITH SMART MAP FILTERING,PORTABLE UNIT HOME-BASE REGISTRATION AND MULTIPLE NAVIGATION SYSTEMPREFERENTIAL USE; such as map lights, including maps lightsincorporating light emitting diodes (including organic light emittingdiodes) generating a white light beam, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,938,321; 5,813,745; 5,820,245; 5,673,994; 5,649,756; 5,178,448;5,669,698; 5,671,996; 4,733,336; and 4,646,210; such as microphonesand/or speakers are disclosed in U.S. patent applications Ser. No.09/361,814, filed Jul. 27, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,642, and Ser.No. 09/199,907, filed Nov. 25, 1998; such as a compass is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,924,212; such as GPS displays and systems are disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,552 and pending U.S. patent applications entitledCOMPLETE MIRROR-BASED GLOBAL-POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) NAVIGATIONSOLUTION, filed Mar. 9, 2000, Ser. No. 60/187,960, and entitledVEHICLE-BASED NAVIGATION SYSTEM WITH SMART MAP FILTERING, HANDHELD UNITHOME-BASE REGISTRATION AND MULTIPLE NAVIGATION SYSTEM PREFERENTIAL USE,Ser. No. 60/131,593, filed Apr. 29, 1999; such as cameras, includingvideo cameras, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,897; U.S. Pat. No.5,760,962; U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,367; U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,786; U.S. Pat.No. 5,949,331; U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,815; U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,772; U.S.Pat. No. 5,798,575; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,935, and pending U.S. patentapplications entitled VEHICLE REARVIEW MIRROR DISPLAY SYSTEM, Ser. No.09/304,201, filed May 3, 1999; VEHICLE MIRROR DIGITAL NETWORK ANDDYNAMICALLY INTERACTIVE MIRROR SYSTEM, Ser. No. 09/375,315, filed Aug.16,1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,409; WIDE ANGLE IMAGE CAPTURE SYSTEMFOR VEHICLES, Ser. No. 09/199,907, filed Nov. 25, 1998; WIDE ANGLEIMAGING SYSTEM, Ser. No. 09/361,814, filed Jul. 27, 1999, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,201,642; VEHICLE IMAGING SYSTEM WITH STEREO IMAGING, Ser. No.09/372,915, filed Aug. 12, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,396,397; VEHICLEREARVIEW MIRROR DISPLAY SYSTEM, Ser. No. 09/300,201, filed May 3, 1999;REARVIEW VISION SYSTEM WITH INDICIA OF BACKUP TRAVEL, Ser. No.09/313,139, filed May 17, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,447; and pendingU.S. patent applications Ser. No. 09/361,814, filed Jul. 27, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,201,642, and Ser. No. 09/199,907, filed Nov. 25, 1998,and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/433,467 (Attorney Docket No.P-783) filed Nov. 4, 1999, entitled VEHICLE INTERIOR MIRROR ASSEMBLY, toPatrick Heslin and Niall R. Lynam, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,613; such asheadlamp controllers are disclosed in pending U.S. patent applicationentitled VEHICLE HEADLIGHT CONTROL USING IMAGING SENSOR, Ser. No.09/441,341, filed Nov. 16, 1999; such as telematic interfaces aredisclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/918,772,entitled MODULAR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY, filed Aug. 25, 1997, now U.S.Pat. No. 6,124,886; storage and pendant accessories disclosed in U.S.Pat. application entitled REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITH UTILITYFUNCTIONS, Ser. No. 09/449,121, filed Nov. 24, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No.6,428,172; such as rain sensors, including non-contacting rain sensors,are disclosed U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,844 entitled VEHICULAR MOISTURE SENSORAND MOUNTING APPARATUS THEREFORE, and PCT International ApplicationPCT/US94/05093 entitled MULTI-FUNCTION LIGHT SENSOR FOR VEHICLE,published as WO 94/27262 on Nov. 24, 1994; such as toll pay devices,including automatic toll pay devices, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,485,520 to Chaum; such as remote transaction devices are disclosed inpending U.S. patent application entitled A VEHICLE MOUNTED REMOTETRANSACTION INTERFACE SYSTEM, filed Apr. 8, 1998, Ser. No. 09/057,428,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,655; such as trip computers, vehicle statusdisplays, air bag activation status displays, instrumentation/consolelighting, and other information display/user interface devices aredisclosed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/244,726, filed Feb. 5,1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,613, the entire disclosures of all thereferenced applications, patents, and publications are incorporated byreference herein in their entireties.

Given the increasing number of components that are desirable in aninterior rearview mirror assembly, there has been an increasing need tomaximize the available space in the interior rearview mirror assembly.While the weight of the electronic devices do not significantly affectthe vibration characteristics of the interior rearview mirror assembly,the increasing number of electronic devices require more and more space.When coupled with the concern for the vibration performance of theinterior rearview mirror assemblies of vehicle memory mirror systems,perhaps the disadvantages associated with the weight of the drivingmechanism and, furthermore, the crowding out of the space within thecasing has discouraged such use of designs.

Consequently, there is a need for an interior rearview mirror assemblythat is suitable for a vehicle memory mirror system and yet providesample space for a multitude of electronic devices or accessories withinthe casing of the interior rearview mirror assembly while exhibitingreduced vibration as compared to interior rearview mirror assemblies ofconventional memory mirror systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a vehicle memory mirror systemincludes a housing and an actuator. The housing includes a mirror casingand a support, which mounts the mirror casing to the vehicle. The weightof the actuator is directly distributed to the vehicle via the supportso that the interior rearview mirror assembly of the memory mirrorsystem exhibits improved vibration characteristics and, further, ispositioned such that the mirror assembly has increased capacity forhousing a variety of accessories and/or devices.

In one form of the invention, a vehicular interior rearview mirrorassembly for a vehicle memory mirror system includes a housing. Thehousing includes a mirror casing and a support for mounting the mirrorcasing to a vehicle. A reflective element is provided in the casing forrearward viewing when the mirror assembly is mounted to the vehicle. Anelectrical actuator is mounted to the support whereby the weight of theelectrical actuator is borne by the support, with the actuator providingadjustment for the position of at least the reflective element about oneor more axes.

In one aspect, the actuator is substantially positioned exteriorly ofthe mirror casing and engages a portion of the casing to adjust theposition of the casing and the reflective element about the one or moreaxes. In further aspects, at least a portion of the actuator ispositioned in an interior portion of the support.

In other aspects, the actuator supports the reflective element in thehousing. For example, the housing may include a first portion whichdefines a mirror casing for the reflective element and the actuator anda second portion which forms the support for mounting the assembly to avehicle whereby the housing comprises a fixed mount mirror housing. Infurther aspects, the second portion includes a storage space for storingat least one electrical device therein. In preferred form, the secondportion comprises a tubular member having a transverse passage definingthe storage space for supporting the electrical device.

In other aspects, the mirror casing includes a first compartment forsupporting the reflective element therein and a second compartment forhousing the actuator. In further aspects, the support extends into thesecond compartment and includes a mounting surface for mounting theactuator to the support. The actuator engages the casing to pivot thecasing and the reflective element about the support.

In other aspects, the actuator is mounted to the casing in the secondcompartment and engages the support whereby the actuator pivots thecasing and the reflective element about the support. In further aspects,the support includes a dual ball mount support arm, with the dual ballmount support arm permitting manual adjustment of the mirror casingabout one or more axes.

According to another form of the invention, a vehicular interiorrearview mirror assembly for a vehicle memory mirror system includes amirror casing having a reflective element, a support, which is adaptedto mount the casing to a vehicle, and an electrical actuator. Theactuator is at least partially housed or positioned in the support andengages the casing to provide adjustment of the mirror casing and thereflective element about one or more axes.

In other aspects, the mirror casing includes a back wall, which isengaged by the actuator to reposition the mirror casing about the one ormore axes. The back wall and the reflective element assembly define acompartment therebetween for positioning one or more electrical devices.In further aspects, the actuator includes an actuator housing with atleast a portion of the actuator housing positioned in the interiorportion of the support.

In further aspects, the actuator is coupled to at least one controlmodule of the memory mirror system. Preferably, the control modulecomprises a mirror-based control module, which is positioned in theinterior of the support for coupling to a vehicle-based control moduleof the memory mirror system.

According to yet another form of the invention, a vehicular interiorrearview mirror assembly for a vehicle memory mirror system includes ahousing, a reflective element, and an electrical actuator. The housingincludes a mirror casing and a support. The actuator supports thereflective element in the mirror casing. The actuator providesadjustment of the reflective element in the casing and further ismounted to the casing whereby the weight of the actuator is directlydistributed by the support to the vehicle to improve the vibrationperformance of the reflective element.

In one aspect, the housing includes a first portion defining the mirrorcasing and a second portion forming the support for fixedly mounting themirror assembly to a vehicle windshield. For example, the supportpreferably comprises a tubular member having an interior space forhousing one or more electrical devices.

In another form of the invention, a vehicular interior rearview mirrorassembly for a vehicle memory mirror system includes a mirror casing, areflective element supported in a first cavity of the mirror casing, amounting member which is adapted to mount the assembly to a vehicle, andan electrical actuator. The electrical actuator is housed in a secondcavity of the mirror casing and mounts the mirror casing to the mountingmember. The electrical actuator provides adjustment of an orientation ofthe mirror casing and the reflective element about at least one axis.

In one aspect, the electrical actuator is mounted to the mirror casingwith the electrical actuator engaging the mounting member casing toadjust the orientation of the mirror casing and the reflective elementabout the at least one axis. In another aspect, the electrical actuatoris mounted to the mounting member, with the electrical actuator engagingthe mirror casing to adjust the orientation of the mirror casing and thereflective element about the at least one axis.

In further aspects, the mounting member preferably includes at least oneball mount to permit manual adjustment of the mirror casing about one ormore axes.

It can be appreciated from the foregoing that an interior rearviewmirror assembly is provided that distributes the weight of the actuatorto the fixed portion of the mirror assembly, which in turn distributesthe weight to the vehicle so that the mirror assembly exhibits enhancedvibration characteristics and, further, locates the actuator in a mannerto increase the available space in at least the mirror casing.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of theinvention will become more apparent from a study of the drawing taken inconjunction with the review of the description that follows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle incorporating a memory mirror systemaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of an interior rearview mirror assemblyof the memory mirror system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3A is a schematic representation of the control system of thememory mirror system of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a similar cross-section view to FIG. 3 illustrating a secondembodiment of the interior rearview mirror assembly of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section similar to FIG. 3 illustrating a thirdembodiment of the interior rearview mirror assembly of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view similar to FIGS. 3-5 of a prior artinterior rearview mirror assembly of a prior art memory mirror system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 generally designates a memory mirrorsystem of the present invention for a vehicle V. Memory mirror system 10includes passenger-side and driver-side exterior sideview mirrorassemblies 14 and an interior rearview mirror assembly 16, which ismounted to a windshield 12 of vehicle V. In the present invention,interior rearview mirror assembly 16 is adapted to provide an interiorrearview mirror assembly for memory mirror system 10, as noted above,which exhibits enhanced vibration characteristics and, further, providesincreased storage capacity for various devices or accessories which maybe incorporated into assembly 16, as will be more fully described below.

While reference is made to exterior rearview mirror assemblies 14, thefocus of this present application is on interior rearview mirrorassembly 16; therefore, further details of the exterior rearview mirrorassemblies 14 are not provided herein. Examples of suitable exteriorrearview mirrors, however, can be found in copending U.S. patentapplication entitled MEMORY MIRROR SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES, Ser. No.09/448,690, filed Nov. 24, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,083 and U.S.Pat. No. 5,798,575, commonly assigned to Donnelly Corporation ofHolland, Mich. the disclosures of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entireties. Reference is also made to U.S. Pat. Nos.5,949,591; 5,879,074; 5,863,116; 5,871,275; 5,823,654; 5,669,699;5,669,704; 5,624,176; 5,497,305; 5,786,772; 5,929,786; and 5,971,552 forother features that may be incorporated into exterior rearviewassemblies 14, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entireties.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, interior rearview mirror assembly 16includes housing 17 and a reflective element assembly 20. Housing 17includes a mirror casing 18 and a support or mounting member 22. Casing18 is a generally elongate cup-shaped casing as shown in FIG. 2 with arearward opening 40 in which reflective element assembly 20 issupported. In the illustrated embodiment, reflective element assembly 20and casing 18 are adjustable about one or more axes, for example axesX-X and Y-Y (FIG. 2), to provide adjustment of the rearward field ofview provided by reflective element assembly 20. As used herein, theterms “rearward facing” and “forward facing” are used to definedirections relative to a vehicle when the mirror assembly is mounted tothe vehicle. “Rearward facing” means the object is facing the rear ofthe vehicle. “Forward facing” means that the object is facing toward thefront end of the vehicle.

As best seen in FIG. 3, mounting member 22 mounts casing 18 towindshield 12 on a conventional mounting button (not shown), such asdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,487,522; 5,671,996; 5,820,097; 5,615,857;5,330,149; 5,100,095; 4,930,742; or 4,936,533 or copending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/781,408, filed Jan. 10, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No.5,820,097, all commonly assigned to Donnelly Corporation, thedisclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentireties, which provides a break-away mounting or release mechanism asis known in the art. It should be understood that mounting member 22 maymount casing 18 to a header portion of the vehicle such as described,for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,487,522; 5,615,857; or 5,671,996, thedisclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entiretiesherein. In preferred form, mounting member 22 comprises an enlargedtubular member having a cavity 24 formed therein for housing andsupporting an actuator 26 which provides adjustment to casing 18 andreflective element assembly 20 about one or more axes to adjust therearward field of view, as will be more described below.

Actuator 26 preferably comprises an electrical actuator and includes anactuator housing 28, a pivot or ball member 30 which extends rearwardlyfrom housing 28, and at least one telescoping positioning member 32which extends into and out of housing 28 to adjust the position ofmirror casing 18. Housing 28 may include one or more motors andassociated gearing for driving positioning member 32 in and out ofhousing 28, as is known in the art. Preferably, at least a portion ofactuator 26, for example housing 28, is enclosed or housed in mountingmember 22, with ball mount 30 and positioning member 32 extendingoutwardly from end 22 a of mounting member 22 for engaging casing 18.Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,986,364 and 5,900,999 for examplesof suitable actuator designs, the disclosures of which are hereinincorporated by reference herein in their entireties. It should beunderstood that the electrical actuator may incorporate one or moremuscle wires which are operable to pull or push in response to anelectrical signal. Muscle wires, which are also known as shape memoryalloy, can assume radically different forms or “phases” at distincttemperatures. When conducting an electric current, the muscle wire heatsand shortens in length, generating a useable amount of force. Suchmuscle wires are typically bi-metals such as of a nickel-titanium alloy(such as Nitinol) and are attached such that the wires contract whenelectricity is applied.

Referring again to FIG. 3, casing 18 includes a first socket member 34which projects rearwardly from a back wall 36 of casing 18 and a secondsocket member 38 which similarly extends rearwardly of back wall 36 ofcasing 18. Socket 34 receives ball member 30 and pivotally mounts casing18 onto actuator 26, while socket 38 provides a pin connection betweenpositioning member 32 and casing 18. Positioning member 32 includes aball member 32 a which is engaged by socket member 38 and, further,includes a transverse pin which rests in a corresponding groove or seatprovided in socket member 38 to restrict rotational movement ofpositioning member 32 such that when the gearing inside housing 26 isdriven by the motor, positioning member 32 will extend in and out ofhousing 28, as is also well known in the art. Though a singlepositioning member 32 is illustrated, it can be appreciated thatactuator 26 may include two or more positioning members to providemulti-axis positioning of casing 18 about axis X-X and axis Y-Y.

As best understood from FIG. 3, reflective element assembly 20 issupported and retained in rearward facing opening 40 of mirror casing 18by a bezel or bezel portion 42. Bezel 42 and mirror casing 18 are bothpreferably formed from a resinous polymeric material or plastic and,more preferably, from a melt processible plastic and, most preferably,from an engineered polymer, for example an ABS plastic. Bezel 42 extendsaround and over the perimeter of reflective element assembly 20 and issecured to casing 18 to thereby retain reflective element assembly 20 incasing 18. In this manner, reflective element assembly 20 is supportedby mirror casing 18. In addition, by locating actuator 26 exteriorly ofcasing 18, the space between reflector assembly 20 and back wall 36 ofcasing 18 provides a storage space 46 for housing one or moreaccessories or devices (such as 11 a, 11 b, in FIG. 3), as describedbelow.

Reflective element assembly 20 includes a mirror reflector 44, which maycomprise a prismatic mirror reflector or an electrically variablereflectance mirror reflector, such as electrochromic mirror reflectors,as are both known in the mirror art. In addition, reflective elementassembly 20 may comprise a bent, wide-angle mirror reflector rather thana flat mirror reflector. If a bent, wide-angle mirror reflector is used,it is preferable that the mirror reflector (44) comprise a glasssubstrate coated with a bendable reflector coating (such as of siliconas described in copending U.S. patent applications entitled ELEMENTALSEMICONDUCTOR MIRROR, filed May 17, 1999, Ser. No. 09/313,152, now U.S.Pat. No. 6,065,840; and ELEMENTAL SEMICONDUCTOR MIRROR FOR VEHICLES ANDMETHOD OF MAKING SAME, filed May 8, 1998, Ser. No. 09/174,810; and U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,535,056 and 5,751,489, all commonly assigned to DonnellyCorporation of Holland, Mich., the disclosures of which are incorporatedby reference herein in their entireties). Where an electrochromic mirrorreflector is preferred, suitable electrochromic mirror reflectorsinclude electrochromic mediums described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,140,455 and 5,151,816 or a solid state electrochromic mediumdescribed in the following publications: N. R. Lynam, “ElectrochromicAutomotive Day/Night Mirrors”, SAE Technical Paper Series 870636 (1987);N. R. Lynam, “Smart Windows for Automobiles”, SAE Technical Paper Series900419 (1990); N. R. Lynam and A. Agrawal, “Automotive Applications ofChromogenic Materials”, Large Area Chromogenics: Materials and Devicesfor Transmittance Control, C. M. Lampert and C. G. Grandquist, EDS.,Optical Engineering Press, Washington (1990), the disclosures of whichare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. Othersuitable electrochromic reflectors are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,567,360; 5,525,264; 5,610,756; 5,406,414; 5,253,109; 5,076,673;5,073,012 or 5,117,346, which are all commonly assigned to DonnellyCorporation, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entireties.

Typically, in an electrochromic mirror reflector, two glass platessandwich the electrochromic medium. The reflective coating may bedeposited either on the rear most surface away from the viewer (tocreate a fourth surface reflector as is known in the art) or disposed onthe front surface of the rear most substrate (to create a third surfacereflector as is known in the art). The substrates can be of equal ordifferent glass thicknesses. The electrochromic medium can be a liquidmedium or a solid medium, such as a solid polymer matrix electrochromicmedium such as is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/350,930, filed Jul. 12, 1999, entitled ELECTROCHROMIC POLYMERIC SOLIDFILMS, MANUFACTURING ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICES USING SUCH FILMS, ANDPROCESSES FOR MAKING SUCH SOLID FILMS AND DEVICES, to Desaraju V.Varaprasad et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedby reference herein. For example, an interior rearview mirror reflectorcan comprise a 1.1 mm thick front substrate, a 2.0 mm thick rearsubstrate, and an aluminum, silver, silver alloy, aluminum alloy or thelike highly reflective metal film on the front surface of the rearsubstrate (i.e. third surface reflector) and the electrochromic mediummay be solid such as electrochromic Solid Polymer Matrix (SPM)™comprising a color changing cross-linked polymer solid film. Mostpreferably, the front substrate comprises a glass plate of thicknessless than about 1.6 mm, most preferably about 1.1 mm thickness or lower,and the rear substrate comprises a glass plate of thickness equal to orgreater than about 1.6 mm, more preferably greater than about 1.8 mmthickness, most preferably equal to or greater than about 2.0 mmthickness. The rearmost surface of the rear substrate (the fourthsurface as known in the mirror art) is reflector coated with a highreflecting metal film such as of aluminum or silver, or an alloy ofaluminum or of silver. Most preferably, the front-most surface of therear substrate (the third surface as known in the mirror art) isreflector coated with a high reflecting metal film such as of aluminumor silver, or an alloy of aluminum or of silver.

Interior rearview mirror assembly 16 may incorporate a wide variety ofdifferent accessories and devices. For example, assembly 16 mayincorporate video screens, such as described in U.S. patent applicationentitled INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING A VIDEO SCREEN,filed Mar. 2, 2000, Ser. No. 60/186,520, Attorney Docket No. DON01P-802, or pending U.S. patent application entitled INTERACTIVEAUTOMOTIVE REAR VISION SYSTEM, Ser. No. 60/192,721, filed on Mar. 27,2000, Attorney Docket No. DON01 P-815, by Niall R. Lynam and FrancisO'Brien, both commonly assigned to Donnelly Corporation, the entiredisclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.

Other components that may be housed in assembly 16 include, for example,video cameras, for example which may be used to detect the presence ofmoisture on a windshield and to actuate windshield wipers accordingly,such as described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/621,863, filed Mar. 25, 1996, entitled VEHICLE HEADLIGHT CONTROLUSING IMAGING SENSOR, by Schofield et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,094,or mirror mounted cameras for vehicle internal cabin monitoringdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,877,897 and 5,760,962, or mirror mountedcameras for rear vision systems as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,959,367; 5,929,786; 5,949,331; 5,914,815; 5,786,772; 5,798,575;5,670,935; and pending U.S. patent applications entitled VEHICLEREARVIEW MIRROR DISPLAY SYSTEM, Ser. No. 09/304,201, filed May 3, 1999,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,409; VEHICLE MIRROR DIGITAL NETWORK ANDDYNAMICALLY INTERACTIVE MIRROR SYSTEM, Ser. No. 09/375,315, filed Aug.16, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,164; WIDE ANGLE IMAGE CAPTURE SYSTEMFOR VEHICLES, Ser. No. 09/199,907 filed Nov. 25, 1998; WIDE ANGLEIMAGING SYSTEM, Ser. No. 09/361,814, filed Jul. 27, 1999, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,201,642; VEHICLE IMAGING SYSTEM WITH STEREO IMAGING, Ser. No.09/372,915, filed Aug. 12, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,396,397; VEHICLEREARVIEW MIRROR DISPLAY SYSTEM, Ser. No. 09/300,201, filed May 3, 1999;and REARVIEW VISION SYSTEM WITH INDICIA OF BACKUP TRAVEL, Ser. No.09/313,139, filed May 17, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,447, which areall commonly assigned to Donnelly Corporation of Holland, Mich., thedisclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

For example, such mirror mounted cameras may be used for a baby mindersystem such as the vehicle interior monitoring system described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,877,897 and 5,760,962 or the rear vision system described inpending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/361,814, filed Jul. 27,1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,642, and Ser. No. 09/199,907 filed Nov.25, 1998, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/433,467, filed Nov. 4,1999, entitled VEHICLE INTERIOR MIRROR ASSEMBLY, now U.S. Pat. No.6,326,613, to Patrick Heslin and Niall R. Lynam, all of which areincorporated by reference in their entireties herein. An interiorsurveillance system permits the driver of the vehicle to observebehavior or the activities of babies or children or other passengersseated in the rear seat. This is especially advantageous when the childor baby is in a rearward facing car seat, where the child or baby wouldordinarily not be visible to the driver while driving. For example, acamera, such as a CMOS or CCD camera, can be mounted to view the rearseat area of the vehicle so that the driver can view what is occurring,such as in a rear seat mounted baby seat or with a rear seat passengersuch as children. Preferably, to enable viewing of the rear seatoccupant or occupants even by night, the target field of view of thecamera may be illuminated in a manner that provides adequate visibilityfor the camera to discern what is occurring in the rear seat in adarkened vehicle cabin but not illuminating in a manner that causesglare, distraction, and/or discomfort to any vehicle occupants,including the driver and/or rear seat passengers. For example, such arear seat monitoring camera illumination is preferably achieved usingdirected low level non-incandescent light sources, such as lightemitting diodes (LEDs), organic light emitting material,electroluminescent sources (both organic and inorganic), and the like,and most preferably such non-incandescent sources are low power and aredirected low intensity sources, such as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,938,321 and co-pending application entitled INTERIOR MIRROR ASSEMBLYFOR A VEHICLE INCORPORATING A SOLID-STATE LIGHT SOURCE, Ser. No.09/287,926, filed Apr. 7, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,172, which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The baby-mindercamera may be mounted as a part of the rearview mirror assembly and,most preferably, may be mounted as a part of a roof area of the interiorvehicle cabin such as a header, including a front header of a roof or arear header or a header console of a roof. It may be desirable to mounta baby-minder camera to the rear header of a roof when it is desirableto view rear facing child support seats. Most preferably, a plurality ofat least two, more preferably at least four, and most preferably atleast six LEDs (or similar low level, directed, low-current lightsources such as electroluminescent sources and organic light emittingsources) are mounted with a camera (preferably, such as to form a ringaround the camera) with the light projected from the individual LEDsdirected to be coincident with the camera field of view and toilluminate the target area desired to be viewed. The LEDs being directedlow level sources will not glare or cause discomfort to occupants whenilluminated. Further, camera illumination sources can be illuminatedwhenever the ignition switch is on to operate the vehicle or at leastwhen the ignition switch is placed in an “accessory on” position so thatboth the camera and illumination lights are operating on vehicle batterypower even when parked. Alternately, the illumination lights can beoperational only when the baby-minder camera is selected to beoperational. While it is preferred to use non-incandescent lights,incandescent light sources can be used, most preferably high intensity,low current incandescent light sources. For example, when the camera isactivated to view the rear seat or to view a baby seat or the like, thedome light in the vehicle, which typically comprises an incandescentlight source, can illuminate so that the rear seat area is illuminatedto assist visibility for the camera. A circuit or other device can beprovided that illuminates the dome light (or a similar rearseat-illuminating interior light source such as a rail lamp or the like)whenever the camera is selected to view the rear seat. Optionally, thedome light or similar interior light within the interior cabin, oncecaused to illuminate when the camera is activated, can cease toilluminate after a determined time interval (such as 5 seconds or tenseconds or longer) under the control of a timeout circuit or device. Byproviding a timeout, the driver can selectively view the status ofpassengers in the rear seat of the vehicle by selecting a baby-mindercamera or similar rear seat viewing function (such as by voice command,user-operated switch or the like). Upon selection of the camerafunction, whatever is being viewed on the video screen in the vehiclemay be interrupted (or superimposed over or the like), the interiorlight in the cabin (such as the dome light) will illuminate, a timeoutwill initiate, and the driver (or other front-seat occupant) can viewthe rear seat status for the duration of the timeout. Once the timeoutelapses, the interior light ceases to illuminate, and preferably, thecamera ceases to be activated and the video screen reverts to itspre-event status. Optionally, a reverse-aid rearward viewing camera canbe mounted to the rear of the vehicle in order to display to the driver,upon selecting a reverse gear, a field of view immediately rearward ofthe vehicle so as to assist the driver in reversing the vehicle. Suchvehicle reverse-aid camera systems are disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/361,814 entitled WIDE ANGLE IMAGING SYSTEM, toBos of Donnelly Corporation, filed Jul. 27, 1999; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/199,907, entitled WIDE ANGLE IMAGE CAPTURESYSTEM FOR VEHICLE, to Bos et al of Donnelly Corporation, filed Nov. 25,1998; U.S. patent application entitled REARVISION SYSTEM FOR VEHICLEINCLUDING PANORAMIC VIEW, filed Nov. 19, 1997, Ser. No. 08/952,026, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,498,620; and in U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/313,139, entitled REARVIEW VISION SYSTEM WITH INDICIA OF BACKUPTRAVEL to Schofield et al. of Donnelly Corporation, filed May 17, 1999,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,447, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein. For example, when the driver selects areverse gear, a view of the back-seat of the vehicle is automaticallyreplaced with a view rearward of the vehicle provided by therearward-facing reverse-aid camera (typically mounted at the vehiclerear license plate area or the like) and when reverse gear isdisengaged, the view of the back-seat is once again displayed at thedisplay screen visible to the driver in the interior cabin of thevehicle (such as at, on or in the interior rearview mirror assembly).Also, when a baby is small, a rear-facing child seat is preferred (i.e.the child faces the rear of the vehicle cabin) whereas as the childgrows, a forward-facing child seat is preferred. In order to cater forforward-facing child seats versus rearward-facing child seats, twocameras can be mounted such as in the roof area of the vehicle. Oneforward viewing camera (i.e. viewing forward of the vehicle relative tothe direction of forward motion of the vehicle) can be mounted at a rooflocation (such as above the vehicle rear window) to view a baby seatedin a rear-facing baby seat and a second rearward viewing camera (i.e.viewing rearward of the vehicle relative to the direction of forwardmotion of the vehicle) can be mounted at a roof location (such as abovethe vehicle front windshield or as part of the interior mirror assembly)to view a child seated in a forward-facing baby seat. A switch can beprovided to allow the driver to choose to use any one of the forwardviewing camera and the rearward viewing camera. Optionally andpreferably from a cost viewpoint, a single camera module can be providedthat can connect to and/or dock into two or more spaced and separatecamera module receiving stations. One (i.e. a first) camera modulereceiving station can be high-mounted at a forward location in thevehicle cabin (such as in a header console above and adjacent the frontwindshield or in the headliner above and adjacent the front windshieldor as part of the interior rearview mirror assembly) and a second cameramodule receiving station can be located at a rearward location in thevehicle cabin (such as above and adjacent to the rear window, or at aposition in the headliner of the vehicle that is located above andrearward of the rear seat, or as part of a dome lamp or other interiorlighting assembly, preferably a lighting assembly comprising a pluralityof light emitting diodes and, most preferably, a lighting assemblycomprising a plurality of light emitting diodes comprising at least onewhite light emitting diode) that is spaced and separate from thelocation of the first camera receiving station. A single camera modulecan be provided that plugs into, and electrically/electronicallyconnects to, any one of the two camera receiving stations provided. Whenthe camera module is plugged into the first camera receiving station,the camera field of view is directed rearwardly in the vehicle cabin tomonitor a back seat area and thus monitor a child strapped in aforwardly-facing child seat and the like. The camera receiving stationprovides power to the camera and receives video signals generated by thecamera. If, however, a rearward-facing baby seat was mounted on the rearseat, the driver can unplug the camera module from the first camerareceiving station and plug it into the second camera receiving station.When plugged into the second camera receiving station, the camera lensfaces forwardly in the cabin and its field of view is directed tocapture and hence display the rearward-facing baby strapped in therearwardly-facing baby (or child) seat. Optionally, a plurality ofcamera receiving stations (such as three or four or more) can beprovided to allow a single camera be mounted at a plurality of locationsin a vehicle cabin with its field of view selected to be directed to aspecific portion of the vehicle cabin by plugging the camera module intoa specific one of the available plurality of camera receiving stations.This allows a “plug and view” capability for the vehicle user. As analternate, or as a supplement, to a plurality of camera receivingstations, a camera can be movably mounted on a rail that also functionsas a power strip that is affixed to an interior vehicular cabinstructure such as a headliner of the vehicle or to a window of a vehicle(such as is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/895,729,entitled VEHICLE WINDOW ASSEMBLY FOR MOUNTING INTERIOR VEHICLEACCESSORIES to John W. Carter et al. of Donnelly Corporation, filed Jul.17, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,411, the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein). Thus, for example, a cameracan move along a channel in a rail attached to a vehicle cabin roofheadliner. When stopped at a particular position along the rail, thecamera module can receive power input from and deliver signal output tothe rail such as via conductive brush connectors such as carbon brushes.Alternately, the camera module can transmit video image data wirelesslywithin the cabin, such as by infrared or by radio-frequency transmission(such as part of a short range, local RF broadcast network operatingunder a BLUETOOTH protocol available from Motorola of Schaumberg Ill.),to a cabin-mounted receiver (or externally of the vehicle to a remotereceiver such as might be used in a cabin security monitoringcamera-based system that, for example, monitors the interior vehiclecabin while the vehicle is parked in order to detect intrusion by anunauthorized party). Optionally, the camera module mounted in thevehicle cabin is detachably mounted so that it can be removed from thevehicle both as an anti-theft device and in order to allow the camera tobe used outside the vehicle such as in a child's crib in a home. In thisregard, a video camera (such as the detachable vehicle camera module)can be mounted at a distance from the vehicle such as in the like of achild's bedroom in a house to monitor, for example, a child sleeping ina crib, and its video image can be wirelessly transmitted (such as byradio-frequency transmission) or transmitted via a wireless INTERNETlinkage to the vehicle so the driver and/or other occupants of thevehicle can view the video image of the child in the crib at home on avehicular video screen, preferably on a screen mounted at, on or in theinterior mirror assembly, while the vehicle is located and operating ata distance from the location of the home where the camera generating thevideo image is located. Also, the camera used in the applicationsdescribed above can be an autofocusing and/or autoexposure camera usingan autofocusing lens system and/or an autoexposure system (such as viaan automatically adjustable iris system). Also, optionally, the field ofview of the lens of the camera can be adjusted to view a multitude oflocations in the vehicle cabin such as by a joystick-control or thelike.

Other devices which may be incorporated into interior rearview mirrorassembly 16 include light emitting sources. Such as light emittingsources, for example such as light emitting diodes, can be used toprovide lighting for any camera that feeds an image to themirror-mounted video screen. Light emitting diodes can be used toprovide illumination in various colors such as white, amber, yellow,green, orange red, blue, or their combination, or the like may be used.Alternately, other light emitting elements can be used to provideillumination for any camera that feeds an image to the mirror-mountedvideo screen, such as incandescent sources, fluorescent sourcesincluding cold-cathode fluorescent sources, electroluminescent sources(both organic and inorganic).

The concepts of this present invention can be used with interiorrearview mirror assemblies which are equipped with a variety of featuresand accessories, such as a home access transmitter, garage door openertransmitters, a high/low (or daylight running beam/low) headlampcontroller, a hands free phone attachment, a video telephone function, aremote keyless entry receiver, a compass, a seat occupancy detection,map lights or multiple reading lights such as described in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,669,698; 5,820,245; 5,671,996; 5,813,745;5,178,448; 4,733,336; and 4,646,210; the disclosures of all of which areherein incorporated in their entireties. Additional features andaccessories that may be incorporated into the rearview mirror assemblyinclude: A trip computer, an intrusion detector, displays indicating,for example passenger air bag status, including information displayssuch as a PSIR (Passenger Side Inflatable Restraint) display, an SIR(Side-Airbag Inflatable Restraint) display, compass/temperature display,a tire pressure status display or other desirable displays and the like,such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/244,726,filed Feb. 5, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,613, the disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated by reference herein. For example, the rearviewmirror assemblies of the present invention may include: Antennas,including GPS or cellular phone antennas, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,971,552; a communication module, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,798,688; displays such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,240 or inU.S. pending application Ser. No. 09/244,726, filed Feb. 5, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,172,613; blind spot detection systems, such as disclosedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,929,786 or 5,786,772; transmitters and/or receivers,such as garage door openers, a digital network, such as described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,798,575; a high/low head lamp controller, such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,093; a memory mirror system, such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,176; a hands-free phone attachment, avideo device for internal cabin surveillance and/or video telephonefunction, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,962 and 5,877,897and co-pending application Ser. No. 09/433,467, now U.S. Pat. No.6,326,613; a remote keyless entry receiver; map lights, such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,938,321; 5,813,745; 5,820,245; 5,673,994;5,649,756; or 5,178,448; microphones and/or speakers, such as disclosedin U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/361,814, filed Jul. 27, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,201,642, and Ser. No. 09/199,907, filed Nov. 25, 1998; acompass, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,212; seat occupancydetector; a trip computer; an ONSTAR System or the like, with all of thereferenced patents and applications being commonly assigned to DonnellyCorporation, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entireties.

The interior rearview mirror assembly may also include acompass/temperature and a clock display, fuel level display, and othervehicle status and other information displays. Furthermore, informationdisplays may be incorporated which provide information to the driver oroccupants of the vehicle such as warnings relating to the status of thepassenger airbag. In commonly assigned co-pending application Ser. No.09/244,726, filed by Jonathan E. DeLine and Niall R. Lynam, on Feb. 5,1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,613, information displays are providedwhich include information relating to vehicle or engine status, warninginformation, and the like such as information relating to oil pressure,fuel remaining, time, temperature, compass headings for vehicledirection, and the like, the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. The passenger side air bag on/off signalmay be derived from various types of seat occupancy detectors such as byvideo surveillance of the passenger seat as disclosed in co-pending,commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. PCT/US94/01954, filedFeb. 25, 1994, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference, or by ultrasonic or sonar detection, infrared sensing,pyrodetection, weight detection, or the like. Alternately,enablement/displayment of the passenger side air bag operation can becontrolled manually such as through a user operated switch operated withthe ignition key of the vehicle in which assembly 10 is mounted asdescribed in co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser.No. 08/799,734, filed Feb. 12, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,772, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.In addition, interior rearview mirror assembly 16 may include electronicand electric devices, including a blind spot detection system, such asthe type disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/799,734entitled VEHICLE BLIND SPOT DETECTION AND DISPLAY SYSTEM, invented bySchofield et al. and filed Feb. 12, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,772,or rain sensor systems, for example rain sensor systems which includewindshield contacting rain sensors such as described in U.S. Pat. No.4,973,844 entitled VEHICULAR MOISTURE SENSOR AND MOUNTING APPARATUSTHEREFORE, or non-windshield contacting rain sensors, such as describedin PCT International Application PCT/US94/05093 entitled MULTI-FUNCTIONLIGHT SENSOR FOR VEHICLE, published as WO 94/27262 on Nov. 24, 1994, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein intheir entireties. Where windshield contacting rain sensors are included,the rain sensors can be mounted in passage 24 of mounting member 22.

The mirror-mounted video screen can display the output from a rearvision back-up camera, such as disclosed in co-pending application Ser.No. 09/199,907, filed Nov. 25, 1998, and application Ser. No.09/361,814, filed Jul. 27, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,642, commonlyassigned to Donnelly Corporation, the disclosures of which are hereinincorporated by reference in their entireties, along with vehicleinstrument status, such as an vehicle information display, such asinformation relating to fuel gauge levels, speed, climate controlsetting, GPS directional instructions, tire pressure status, instrumentand vehicle function status, and the like.

As disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/449,121, filed Nov.24, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,172, the entire disclosure of which isherby incorporated by reference herein, interior rearview mirrorassembly 16 of the present invention may incorporated variousaccessories which can be docked onto the assembly for purposes ofstorage, battery charging, electrical powering, data input or output andsimilar functions. Such dockable features are detachable by a user ofthe vehicle from the mirror assembly and are optionally removable fromthe vehicle for use outside the vehicle. For example, a dockable featuremay comprise a light assembly, such as a flashlight assembly, or maycomprise a cellular phone, a phone module, pager, INTERNET connector, orthe like. In the case of docking a telecommunication device such as aphone or a pager, the interior mirror assembly is preferably adapted toconnect to the telecommunication device such as a phone in a manner suchthat the vehicle control system will recognize the phone and,optionally, direct incoming phone calls to speakers, which may belocated in the mirror assembly or elsewhere in the vehicle. In thismanner, the dockable phone may provide removable hands-free phonefunction. Furthermore, in one form, the phone may automatically beactivated by the occupant's voice or a switch or by the docking of thephone onto the mirror assembly. In this manner, the phone may be removedwhen the occupant exits the car for normal remote use or may be dockedfor hands-free use.

Preferably, interior rearview mirror assembly 16 includes a powersource, such as a recharger that recharges the battery or batteries inany dockable accessory, which is stored or attached thereto. Aspreviously noted, such dockable accessories can include pagers, cellularphones, flashlights or the like. In this manner, the dockable accessorycan be docked for recharging. In the case of the light assembly, thelight assembly can be docked for use as a map reading light or the like.When undocked, the light assembly (which includes internal batteries)may be used as a flashlight, as previously noted.

Alternately, the phone module of a cellular or digital phone may bedocked on interior mirror assembly 16 such that the vehicle systemcouples the phone module to the speakers and microphones to provide ahands-free phone system. In this manner, the module can be quickly andeasily docked and, further, removed for replacement into the phonehousing. Furthermore, a hands-free phone system may be coupled to one ormore of the video screens incorporated into the interior rearview mirrorassembly to form a teleconferencing system, with the video screendisplaying images of the one or more of the parties. Optionally, theinterior rearview mirror assembly may incorporate a camera so thatbi-directional teleconferencing can be achieved. Reference for suchvideo-telephone applications is made to co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/918,772, entitled MODULAR REARVIEW MIRRORASSEMBLY, filed Aug. 25, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 612,488, which iscommonly assigned to Donnelly Corporation of Holland, Mich., thedisclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Referring to FIG. 3A, actuator 26 of interior rearview mirror assembly16 is coupled to an electronic control system 50. Electronic controlsystem 50 includes mirror-based control modules 52 positioned in eachexterior rearview mirror assembly 14 and interior rearview mirrorassembly 16 and a vehicle-based control module 54 which isinterconnected to each of the respective mirror-based control modules52. Control module 54 may be located in the vehicle, for example in avehicle door or in or behind the dashboard or the like. In addition,control module 54 may be associated with other vehicle control functionssuch as seat position control, window controls, or the like. For furtherdetails of a suitable memory mirror electronic control system, referenceis made to copending application entitled MEMORY MIRROR SYSTEM FORVEHICLES, Ser. No. 09/448,690, filed Nov. 24, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No.6,163,083 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,575, the disclosures of which areincorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

Referring to FIG. 4, a second embodiment 116 of the interior rearviewmirror assembly of the present invention is illustrated. Interiorrearview mirror assembly 116 includes a housing 117 and a reflectiveelement assembly 120. Housing 117 includes a mirror casing 118 and asupport 122, which mounts casing 118 to windshield 12. Reflectiveelement assembly 120 is supported in casing 118 by an actuator 126,preferably an electric actuator similar to actuator 26 and is coupled toa memory mirror system similar to system 10 described in the firstembodiment. Reference is also made to the first embodiment for detailsfor suitable casing materials, suitable reflective element assemblies,and optional devices or accessories that may be incorporated intoassembly 116.

Housing 117 includes a first portion 118a, which defines casing 118, anda second portion 118 b which is integral with and extends forwardly fromfirst portion 118 a to form support or mounting member 122 for mountingcasing 118 to vehicle windshield 12. Casing 118 is generally cup shapedsimilar to casing 18 and includes a cavity and a rearward facing opening140 in which reflective element assembly 120 is positioned by actuator126.

In the preferred embodiment, mounting portion 122 comprises a tubularmember and provides a fixed mounting for casing 118 to windshield 112 ona conventional mounting button, as is known in the mirror art, toprovide a break-away mounting for assembly 116. Thus, interior rearviewmirror assembly 116 includes a fixed mount housing but with anadjustable reflective element within the casing 118.

Preferably, actuator 126 is mounted directly to casing wall 118 c ofcasing 118 and, most preferably, to a forward portion or back wall 118 dof casing wall 118 c. In this manner, actuator 126 is rigidly supportedwithin casing 118 with the weight of actuator 126 being directlytransferred to windshield 12 by way of mounting member 122. Furthermore,mounting member 122 preferably comprises a hollow tubular member havinga passageway 124 which may be used to store or house a variety ofelectrical and electronic devices as described in reference to the firstembodiment, including, for example rain sensors as previously described.It can be appreciated, that mirror assembly 116, therefore, exhibitsreduced vibration and, further, provides ample space for storing a widevariety of accessories and devices.

Referring to FIG. 5, a third embodiment 216 of the interior rearviewmirror assembly of the present invention is illustrated. Interiorrearview mirror assembly 216 includes a housing 217 and a reflectiveelement assembly 220. Housing 217 includes a mirror casing 218 and asupport or mounting member 222. Reflective element assembly 120 issupported in casing 218 by a bezel in a rearward facing opening 240similar to the first embodiment. Casing 218 includes a first compartmentor cavity 218 a which is defined between an upper wall 218 c, a lowerwall 218 d and an intermediate or back wall 218 e, which extends betweenupper and lower walls 218 c and 218 d to divide casing 218 into the twocompartments. Upper wall 218 c, lower wall 218 d and back wall 218 etogether form a cup-shaped casing similar to casing 18 illustrated inFIG. 2. Extending forwardly of back wall 218 e is a second compartmentor cavity 218 b which houses an electrical actuator 226. Actuator 226provides adjustment for casing 218 about axes X″ and Y″. Actuator 226 isof similar construction to actuator 26 and includes an actuator housing228 with a pivot or ball member 230 and one or more positioning members232 which project outwardly from housing 228 and, further, which extendand retract into housing 228 to adjust the position of casing 218, aswill be more fully described below.

Casing 218 is mounted to windshield 12 by support or mounting member 222which includes a conventional dual ball mount arrangement, as is knownin the art. Mounting member 222 includes a first support member 224 a,which includes a mount 224 b for engaging a conventional mirror mountingbutton, and a ball member 224 c which is engaged by a swaged, one piecetubular member 225. Mounting member 222 includes a second support member224 d which includes a second ball member 224 e, similarly engaged byone piece tubular member 225. Ball members 224 c and 224 e are urgedagainst the interior ends of tubular member 225 by a compression spring225 a, as is commonly known in the art. In addition, second supportmember 224 d includes a mounting flange 224 f which extends into secondcompartment 218 b and includes a pair of sockets 234 and 238 forreceiving ball member 230 and position member 232, similar to the firstembodiment, which mount casing 218 onto mounting member 222. In thismanner, casing 216 can be manually repositioned for rearward viewing ofthe vehicle about ball members 224 c and 224 e as well as electricallyrepositioned by actuator 226 about axes X″ and Y″.

In the illustrated embodiment, actuator 226 is mounted in casing 218preferably on forward facing surface 218 f of back wall 218 e. In thismanner, when actuator 226 is energized, actuator 226 pivots casing 218and reflective element assembly 220 about mounting member 222.Furthermore, the weight of the actuator assembly 226 is distributed tomounting member 222 via flange 224 f and, thus, enhances the vibrationcharacteristics of interior rearview mirror assembly 216. In addition,interior rearview mirror assembly 216 provides ample space incompartment 218 a to support a plurality of accessories and devices. Itshould be understood that actuator 226 may be reversed with casing 218including a corresponding set of socket structures or back wall 218 eand with actuator 226 mounted directly onto flange 224 f.

It can be appreciated from the description and drawings that an improvedvehicle interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle memory mirrorsystem is provided that distributes the weight of the actuator to thefixed portion of the mirror assembly instead of the pivotal or movingportion of the mirror assembly and, therefore, exhibits improvedvibration characteristics and, further, provides ample storage space inat least the mirror casing for housing a wide variety of accessories ordevices.

While several forms of the invention have been shown and described,other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore,it will be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings anddescribed above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by theclaims which follow as interpreted under the principles of patent lawincluding the doctrine of equivalents.

1. A vehicular interior rearview mirror system, said interior rearviewmirror system comprising: a housing: a mounting member, said mountingmember configured to mount to a vehicle windshield; an electricalactuator, said electrical actuator supported by said mounting memberwith the weight of said electrical actuator being transferred to thewindshield by way of said mounting member; a reflective element mountedto said electrical actuator; and said reflective element having arearward field of view when mounted to said electrical actuator, saidelectrical actuator providing adjustment of said rearward field of viewof said reflective element.
 2. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 1, wherein said mounting member includes atleast one electronic device.
 3. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 2, wherein said at least one electronic devicecomprises a rain sensor.
 4. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 2, wherein said at least one electronic devicecomprises a device chosen from (i) a garage door opener, (ii) a compass,(iii) an antenna, (iv) a microphone, and (v) a transmitter.
 5. Thevehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 1, whereinsaid mounting member comprises a passageway.
 6. The vehicular interiorrearview mirror system according to claim 5, wherein said mountingmember includes at least one electronic device located in saidpassageway.
 7. The vehicular interior rearview mirror system accordingto claim 1, wherein said mounting member comprises a break-awaymounting.
 8. The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according toclaim 1, wherein said mounting member comprises a portion for attachingto a mirror mounting button that is attached to the inner surface of thewindshield.
 9. The vehicular interior rearview mirror system accordingto claim 1, wherein said mounting member comprises a tubular member. 10.The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 1,wherein said housing includes a first portion and a second portion, saidactuator located in said first portion, and said second portionincluding said mounting member.
 11. The vehicular interior rearviewmirror system according to claim 1, wherein said housing comprises agenerally cup-shaped portion, and wherein said actuator is located insaid cup-shaped portion.
 12. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 11, wherein said cup-shaped portion includesan opening facing rearward of the vehicle when said housing is mountedto the windshield, said reflective element having said rearward field ofview through said opening when mounted to said electrical actuator. 13.The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 1,wherein said housing includes a tubular portion, said tubular portionencompassing said mounting member.
 14. The vehicular interior rearviewmirror system according to claim 1, wherein said reflective elementcomprises a variable reflectance element.
 15. The vehicular interiorrearview mirror system according to claim 1, wherein said housingincludes a wall, said actuator mounted to said wall.
 16. The vehicularinterior rearview mirror system according to claim 1, wherein saidelectrical actuator is operable as a part of a mirror memory system. 17.The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 16,including a mirror-based control module, said mirror-based controlmodule positioned in said housing.
 18. The vehicular interior rearviewmirror system according to claim 1, wherein said housing is formed froma polymeric material.
 19. The vehicular interior rearview mirror systemaccording to claim 18, wherein said housing comprises a cup-shapedportion and a tubular portion that is integral with said cup-shapedportion, and said tubular portion encompassing said mounting member. 20.A vehicular interior rearview mirror system, said interior rearviewmirror system comprising: a housing, said housing comprising a generallycup-shaped portion; a mounting member, said mounting member configuredto mount to a vehicle windshield said cup-shaped portion including anopening facing rearward of the vehicle when said housing is mounted tothe windshield; an electrical actuator, said electrical actuatorsupported by said mounting member with the weight of said electricalactuator being transferred to the windshield by way of said mountingmember, and said electrical actuator being at least partially located insaid cup-shaped portion; a reflective element mounted to said electricalactuator; and said reflective element having a rearward field of viewthrough said opening when mounted to said electrical actuator, saidelectrical actuator providing adjustment of said rearward field of viewof said reflective element.
 21. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 20, wherein said mounting member includes atleast one electronic device.
 22. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 21, wherein said at least one electronicdevice comprises a rain sensor.
 23. The vehicular interior rearviewmirror system according to claim 21, wherein said at least oneelectronic device comprises a device chosen from (i) a garage dooropener, (ii) a compass, (iii) an antenna, (iv) a microphone, and (v) atransmitter.
 24. The vehicular interior rearview mirror system accordingto claim 20, wherein said mounting member comprises a passageway. 25.The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 24,wherein said mounting member includes at least one electronic devicelocated in said passageway.
 26. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 20, wherein said mounting member comprises abreak-away mounting.
 27. The vehicular interior rearview mirror systemaccording to claim 20, wherein said mounting member comprises a portionfor attaching to a mirror mounting button that is attached to the innersurface of the windshield.
 28. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 20, wherein said mounting member comprises atubular member.
 29. The vehicular interior rearview mirror systemaccording to claim 20, wherein said housing includes a tubular portion,said tubular portion encompassing said mounting member.
 30. Thevehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 20, whereinsaid reflective element comprises a variable reflectance element. 31.The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 20,wherein said housing includes a wall, said actuator mounted to saidwall.
 32. The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according toclaim 20, wherein said electrical actuator is operable as a part of amirror memory system.
 33. The vehicular interior rearview mirror systemaccording to claim 32, including a mirror-based control module, saidmirror-based control module positioned in said housing.
 34. Thevehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 20, whereinsaid housing is formed from a polymeric material.
 35. The vehicularinterior rearview mirror system according to claim 34, wherein saidhousing comprises a tubular portion that is integral with saidcup-shaped portion, and said tubular portion encompassing said mountingmember.
 36. A vehicular interior rearview mirror system, said interiorrearview mirror system comprising: a housing: a mounting member, saidmounting member configured to mount to a vehicle windshield; anelectrical actuator, said electrical actuator supported by said mountingmember with the weight of said electrical actuator being transferred tothe windshield by way of said mounting member; at least one electronicdevice chosen from (i) a garage door opener, (ii) a compass, (iii) anantenna, (iv) a microphone, (v) a transmitter, and (vi) a rain sensor; areflective element mounted to said electrical actuator; and saidreflective element having a rearward field of view when mounted to saidelectrical actuator, said electrical actuator providing adjustment ofsaid rearward field of view of said reflective element.
 37. Thevehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 36, whereinsaid mounting member includes said at least one electronic device. 38.The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 37,wherein said at least one electronic device comprises a rain sensor. 39.The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 36,wherein said mounting member comprises a passageway.
 40. The vehicularinterior rearview mirror system according to claim 39, wherein saidmounting member includes said at least one electronic device located insaid passageway.
 41. The vehicular interior rearview mirror systemaccording to claim 36, wherein said mounting member comprises abreak-away mounting.
 42. The vehicular interior rearview mirror systemaccording to claim 36, wherein said mounting member comprises a portionfor attaching to a mirror mounting button that is attached to the innersurface of the windshield.
 43. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 36, wherein said mounting member comprises atubular member.
 44. The vehicular interior rearview mirror systemaccording to claim 36, wherein said housing includes a first portion anda second portion, said actuator located in said first portion, and saidsecond portion including said mounting member.
 45. The vehicularinterior rearview mirror system according to claim 36, wherein saidhousing comprises a generally cup-shaped portion, and wherein saidactuator is located in said cup-shaped portion.
 46. The vehicularinterior rearview mirror system according to claim 45, wherein saidcup-shaped portion includes an opening facing rearward of the vehiclewhen said housing is mounted to the windshield, said reflective elementhaving said rearward field of view through said opening when mounted tosaid electrical actuator.
 47. The vehicular interior rearview mirrorsystem according to claim 36, wherein said housing includes a tubularportion, said tubular portion encompassing said mounting member.
 48. Thevehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 36, whereinsaid reflective element comprises a variable reflectance element. 49.The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 36,wherein said housing includes a wall, said actuator mounted to saidwall.
 50. The vehicular interior rearview mirror system according toclaim 36, wherein said electrical actuator is operable as a part of amirror memory system.
 51. The vehicular interior rearview mirror systemaccording to claim 50, including a mirror-based control module, saidmirror-based control module positioned in said housing.
 52. Thevehicular interior rearview mirror system according to claim 36, whereinsaid housing is formed from a polymeric material.
 53. The vehicularinterior rearview mirror system according to claim 52, wherein saidhousing comprises a cup-shaped portion and a tubular portion that isintegral with said cup-shaped portion, and said tubular portionencompassing said mounting member.